Minjok has historically referred to a group that shared history, culture, and the same ancestors that have founded the country. Upon the liberation of the Korean peninsula, Korea strived to rebuild Minjok Culture, so that it could unite the nation and remove pro-Japanese remnants and traces of feudalism. However, according to Dr. Hana Lee, a Lecturer in the Department of History and Researcher at the Media and Art Research Institute of Yonsei University, perceptions of the concept diverged from its original meaning as the country underwent division. Dr. Lee claims that the differences and struggle between the two Koreas over the concept of Minjok Culture have been an ideological form of the national system competition to exclusively own or claim Minjok.
|